My Beautiful Sky
by MadPoppetNyne
Summary: Forget about finding peace. You have fifteen days to live. Canon.
1. Prologue: I Can Breathe

_Angel: I have been so far away from the writing scene in...two years, I think. But I am back with this fic. I am working through the knots in the storyline still and have to do a lot of stuff before the weekend is over, but I DO promise to work on this beauty. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Twilight, its characters, and the vampire lifestyle manual all belong to Stephenie Meyer. Any songs mentioned belong to their repective authors._

_Claimer: Mine are the following plot and all characters not found in Twilight._

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**MY BEAUTIFUL SKY**

**_Prologue: I Can Breathe_**

I struggled.

There were at least ten thousand reasons crossing through my mind for which I should kill her. Granted, her warranty date had passed. It was midnight of the new day.

It would not take more than three minutes to end her life. In any case, she was not meant to see the sun today. That was what the contract stated. Why was it so hard to keep my side of the bargain?

Yet here I stood by her bedside, violating what I had promised to fulfill. Why? I looked at the clock's red digital numbers. 12:01 a.m.

I reached over, slightly trembling with the fear of awaking her, and to my sudden surprise touched her. I touched a human. Not to kill her, not to hurt her.

I touched her out of curiosity and became alive.

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_Angel: There. Had to let that out. The story's title is off a line from "Falls on Me" by Fuel, as is the chapter's name. READ and/or REVIEW, please._


	2. Dreaming Champagne Dreams

_**Disclaimer:** Based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. The plot, Soleil, and Julien are mine._

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**Dreaming Champagne Dreams**

The wind whipped the loose black strands of hair across her hair as she drove through beautiful Port Angeles that cool, sunny morning. She pushed up the sunglasses onto her head to look with bare eyes at the place where her last happy memory had taken place, seven years ago.

The water still looked that same steely gray color, and the sky had retained their high, austere blue. The cool northern breeze caressed her good-looking face as she cruised delightfully through town in this special corner of the Olympic Peninsula.

Parking her car, she walked steadily to the wooden ramp, resting her sun-kissed arms upon the railing and sighing in contentment at the vast time-lasting beauty of the ocean. Her gentle brown eyes softened with remembrance as she whispered, "It is still the same. If only human life followed that same law of simplicity as nature…"

White, puffy summer clouds slid gracefully through the sky's light blue background, moving in the same direction as the wind. Soleil stood admiring nature for some time until she chuckled to herself and turned away in the direction she'd come from.

Truth was, she missed Julien, her brother, and Port Angeles was the last place they had been together in with their maternal grandmother whom they rarely ever saw and who'd passed away some years ago. That summer they switched places as ordained and Julien left to Minneapolis with their father while Soleil had gone to Lyon with their mother.

A small growl made her smile sheepishly to herself, and Soleil decided to walk closer to the restaurant area and leave her car parked just where it was. _There mightn't be any parking left,_ she thought. _I won't run the risk._

As she was about to cross the street, a motorcycle whizzed before her, making her gasp and mutter in anger as she quickly crossed over to the other side. She hated motorcycles. She hated anything too fast, in fact, to the point it had become an irrational fear. Soleil Moore never went over 100 mph, never drove too late at night, and never drove close to a truck if she could avoid it. _Never._

Because Julien had died by _riding a motorcycle_, _in the dark of night, _and was _hit by a truck_. So the fear would not be considered irrational if Soleil had been there, which she obviously hadn't been. The truck had slammed him through the railing, and he fell until he struck the road below. How, no one still clearly could explain, but the motorcycle had blown up, consuming him. All the Moores had gotten was a body-less funeral.

She stepped into _La Bella Italia_ and smiled at the waiter as this one asked, "Tables for how many?"

Soleil simply replied, "One."

The waiter looked somewhat perplex, but he turned around and led her to her table. Sitting down, she said, "I am already ready to order."

He nodded and brought out his notepad and pen. Soleil proceeded to say, "I'd like a _spaghettini di mare_ and a Coke." She ended with a bright smile, making him return one as equally as genuine as her own before he left.

The mushroom ravioli was Julien's, and only his. Sighing, she took off her glasses and placed them on the table. She had not come back to relive the past.

_I am running away from my parents' lunatic lifestyle, _she reminded herself sharply. _I am hiding. I am starting over in the one place that never was boastful. I am starting over in quiet Port Angeles, not L.A., or Paris, or Tokyo, or Rio… This is the peace I've been yearning, for crying out loud! I finally have it. I finally will have it._

Her divorced parents each acted mindlessly, country-hopping and partner-switching constantly. So Port Angeles, the opposite of the wild and popular cities in the world, was a major breath in the 7 years she had ridden the exhilarating but dizzying loops of her roller coaster of a life.

Looking out once again through the window, Soleil couldn't help but smile once again, placidly. Suns weren't meant to frown. They HAD to shine.

After sitting upright in her seat as the order was set upon her table, Soleil gave thanks in her mind. But she also whispered ever so quietly, "May this be the beginning of the best to come in my life."

_Angel: Here it is. That was quick :) R&R, plz!_

_INSPIRATION: "Shimmer" and "Die Like This" by Fuel._


	3. Bought and Sold

_Disclaimer: sighs Twilight belongs to Stephenie. Everything else is mine._

_Dedicated to_ mon soleil, l'ange des anges: **Heaven**.

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**Bought and Sold**

"I am asking you good-naturedly, Julien," Aro stated in his peculiarly cheerful style. Julien snapped in response, "Enough! I'm not yielding."

"Jane?" At Aro's command, illusory pain shot through him, making Julien growl and thrash, fighting against the torture. His usually-crimson eyes had turned black in his suffering and rising fury.

The pain subsided and, as his vision cleared, Caius and Marcus appeared beside Aro, who now walked closer to him. Julien felt apprehensive and was ready to bolt if necessary in spite of his restrainers. Aro stopped in front of him and placed his hand on Julien's forehead. This last one roared in protest.

Images dashed through their mind, earning several whimpers from the victim. Finally, Aro drew back his hand and looked at him amusedly.

"So you are attached to Anneli, are you not? And you are indebted to Hadrian…"

The mentioning of the latter yielded a number of growls and mumbled of "traitor" and "hypocrite," among other unmentionable terms. Aro stepped toward Marcus and Caius, casually saying, "Imagine! Our friends Kenneth and Karienne are leading our rival coven!"

Marcus smirked and motioned with his head toward Julien, whose straight face had crumpled into agony. "And the little one over there does what?"

Aro grinned. "He is a treasure! Think about it. He is a _very_ detailed and accurate GPS and a track-eraser! So, you see, Hadrian's talent to find supernatural gifts still works rather well. Such a shame he has left our ranks." With that said, he sighed.

Caius had raised a brow upon the mentioning of the GPS but had no time to reply, for Aro interrupted by turning to Julien and saying, "Fifteen days! That is the time you have to tell me where they are. Either you tell us willingly and we will pardon your lives, or we find them and kill them all."

"Starting with you," added Marcus, who chuckled to himself amusedly.

Julien's expression had turned into a glare, but he made no sound of understanding. With a wave, Aro dismissed him and the guards holding Julien dragged him away to his cell.

The doors swung closed behind them and Caius inquired, "What else did you see, Aro?"

The addressed spun to smile. "The most wonderful bait, Caius. He has a little sister living in Port Angeles, neighbor to our friends the Cullens. Of his human life, she is all her cares about, so much he watches over her! Ha, ha, her guardian angel!"

A cruel smile slipped onto Caius' face. "Ah, I understand." Then, turning to Felix, commanded, "Find William."

This William was a natural charmer, with the appearance of a warrior angel with now-blackened eyes. Those eyes evoked experience and, somehow, self-restraint. He stepped into the inner sanctum with the acquaintance of many years and greeted the Volturi.

"Very well, my friend," said Aro. "Come here! I want to share this memory with you."

William chuckled at Aro's impermeable cheerfulness and proceeded to connect his mind to his own. A suntanned human girl in her early twenties appeared in his mind quickly.

"Saw that?" inquired Aro. William nodded. "She is in Port Angeles, Washington state. Track her down and watch her closely—in fact, she must be conscious of your presence and who you really are."

He frowned momentarily. "Very well, Aro. Anything else I must know?"

"Fifteen days."

A lopsided smile crawled onto William's lips as his already-black eyes darkened with the bloodlust. "At fifteen days."

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_Angel: Me again. I won't harrass any longer. Review if you like. The Cullens will come in soon enough..._

_INSPIRATION: "Die Like This" & "Innocent" by Fuel. "House of the Rising Sun" by Muse. "Half a Week Before the Winter" by Vanessa Carlton._


	4. Meet the Sun

The Cullens won't appear until some two chapters later. And yes, I'm gonna keep writing this story because I need to get it out of my mind.

**DISCLAIMER**: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. You know that. And the song starring here is "Twilight" by Vanessa Carlton.

**Meet the Sun**

Finally, she arrived. The alarm was turned off, and she opened her door to find darkness. Frustrated at herself, she sighed and climbed into the car, closing the door after herself. She inserted the key into the ignition and, as the motor hummed to life, the doors were automatically locked. The blue dashboard lights turned on, and only then she noticed me riding shotgun.

I grinned amusedly at the frozen prey beside me. Ah, the cunningness of the hunter and the mellowness of the trapped prey. Her hand slid to the handle, and I chuckled.

"Before you try," I said clearly, and she froze again. "I shall warn you against such folly."

She caught the serious threat in my eyes, I could tell, and slowly retrieved her hand from her only source of escape. I smiled, pleased at her compliance.

"Now, _drive_."

Her hands trembled as they moved to grip the steering wheel and the gearstick, sliding it into reverse. She pulled out of the parking lot and soon joined the light Port Angeles traffic. She was a wonderful driver, in spite of her tension.

I reached over toward the radio's volume dial, and her eyes flashed to my hand before returning to the street. I turned it up, and an unfamiliar song filled the car.

…_I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high 'cause I've seen, 'cause I've seen, twilight..._

I felt her become less tense as she unconsciously began mumbling the lyrics. The girl had a decent voice, enough to keep in tune. I sat back placidly and enjoyed the ride. The song, as simple as it was, was charming.

_I was stained, with a role, in a day not my own  
But as you walked into my life you showed what needed to be shown  
And I always knew, what was right  
I just didn't know that I might  
Peel away and choose to see with such a different sight.  
_  
_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high 'cause I've seen, 'cause I've seen, twilight..._

"Where to?" she asked, interrupting my moment of personal gratification, of which I had few.

"Your place in Sequim." Her jaw hardened. "By the way," I noted, "delightful song."

"Twilight by Vanessa Carlton," she said. "One of my favorites. Pleased to share it with you."

I could tell she had taken a course of action—befriending me. I laughed and angled myself to look at her. She glanced at me quickly as my eyes drilled through her.

"We have fifteen days to bond, my silly friend."

"I am Soleil," she snapped back.

I laughed at her reaction. "You are very much like your brother, indeed."

Her face darkened with hurt as she mumbled, "Yes, indeed." It was a few seconds later that the actual meaning registered. "You knew my Julien?"

"That rebellious runt?" I asked. "I have known about him for some time. If he did not hang with the wrong crowd neither you nor him would have to suffer."

"My Julien is dead," Soleil almost growled. Yes, she was too much like her brother.

"Very true. _Mon petit soleil_," I added, "your brother is in some mess with my bosses. My kind. And you, child, are the one who will suffer if by the deadline the issue is not solved."

She looked at me warily. "So you are what? A hired gun?"

I leaned back against my seat, laughing light-heartedly at her. "No, child. I am a hired fang. You have no idea how _bloodthirsty_ I am." I noticed her shiver. She understood. "Smart girl. Keep driving."

"When's the deadline?" she inquired in a whisper.

"I told you. Fifteen days."

Soleil sighed and stepped tensely onto the gas pedal. I enjoyed her company. Too bad we had a little more than two weeks together.

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_**Angel: There, Ch. 3! But one review would make my day :(**_

_PLAYLIST: (This chapter took 3 days to write, so...) "El Preso" by Fruko y sus Tesos, "Sunburn" by Fuel, "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" by Bianca Ryan; "White Houses," "Half a Week Before the Winter," "Heroes and Thieves," "Nolita Fairytale," and "Twilight" by Vanessa Carlton._


	5. Apprehension

She pulled into her dimly-lit driveway and sat still without making a move to switch off the ignition, waiting for further instructions. "Out," I said, and she immediately unlocked the doors and stepped outside into the cold Washington state night, shivering as she walked to her front door and opened it. Always the gentleman, I held it open and motioned for her to walk in, to which she complied with a muted thanks. Instead of the usual turning on of lights, we remained standing in the darkness of her home, surrounded by the company of silence and her apprehension that plagues every particle in the air.

"Please, do not be tense," I whispered, and her breath hitched in her throat. "I am merely... an unusual companion in an unusual situation. The outcome of this ordeal is wholly dependent on your dear brother's cooperation."

Her shaky voice reverberated through the dark in reply. "And where do I come into the picture?"

"As psychological pressure."

"Why- why not kill me now?" I chuckled.

"I have orders, sunshine: fifteen days."

Her breath communes with the silence once, twice, thrice... The fear in her shoots for a moment, and she stumbles forward by instinct, thinking of running away before her mind takes over her and her emotions fall back into a lull of compressed feelings. "You will kill me anyway, won't you? Whether Julien gives your bosses what they want or not, I'm gone either way?" Points for her intuition, I think.

"The method of your demise, however," I answer slowly, "is entirely dependent upon your compliance with two rules: first, to never attempt to expose me and second, never attempt to run away. I do not forget, Soleil, and I will enjoy every moment of your bloody death."

"Futile!" exclaimed Karienne as she threw her hands in the air and fell down upon the stone, making a crack in it. "It's impossible to try to trespass the Volturi's stronghold without placing ourselves and Julien in harm. They outnumber us in warriors and allies- and age! What are we to do? Kenneth?"

Kenneth snapped out of his thoughts and blinked at his lover for a moment before regaining his senses. "I can't see a way. Every tunnel, every possible entryway is guarded, and our intrusion would be immediately detected. There is no guarantee that if one of us turns himself in to the Volturi that he will be in the same cell as Julien. I am just... trying to figure out..." And once again he retreated into his mind, searching every passageway in Volterra that would lead them safely to Julien and back out. Karienne sighed despondently at her lover's gift and turned to Hadrian, the former Volturi guard.

"No, Karienne, I know of no way either," he answered drily and crossed his arms. "Until Kenneth finds a way, there is no way. Even Annali understands."

"I do," replied the blonde in the corner, who let out a breath. "Our time is running out. The Volturi have increased their vigilance and are waiting for us to make an appearance to catch us. We cannot even leave in the first place. If we want to save Julien, we must find a way to get past their sentries in the area."

Hadrian dragged his eyes to her and asked, "What do you propose?" Annali let out a long, deep sigh charged with despair.

"Wait."

"You can't be serious!" cried out Karienne, the most impulsive of the group. Annali shook her head.

"I really am. We must wait. Afterwards, we can go beg for allies."

Soleil awoke the next morning feeling strange and sighed as she stared at the ceiling. 'It was all a very bad dream. Only a nightmare.' And the word 'nightmare' repeated itself over and over, and over, as she rose from bed and changed into her sweats to go jogging. She stepped into her sneakers, pulled up her hair into a messy ponytail, opened her bedroom door, and walked toward the living room- She bit back a gasp when she realized it wasn't a nightmare: he was very much alive and present sitting on her couch, reading like it was a common sight for her in the morning.

Quietly, she crept back into her bedroom and covered her mouth, trying to push back inside the screams that wanted to come out. She wasn't going to die, not today, not in fifteen days! Gathering herself, Soleil rushed to her window and slid it open as softly as she could with trembling hands and biting back the terror rising up her throat. She slipped outside onto the wet backyard grass and listened- nothing. She breathed in, out, and shot out into the forest, away from the nightmare sitting in her living room. The trees bit back at her as she slapped away their arms and broke off their fingers, hearing their complaints of pain and feeling their revenge upon her face and arms.

She broke off to a halt to catch her breath and gulped in air to fill her aching lungs when she could swear to have seen something flash in the corner of her eyesight but saw nothing when she looked. There it was again! Gripping her hands into tight fists, Soleil swept her eyes around her and knew so well that she was being teased and watched, slowly driving to insanity till she broke down and surrendered. In a rush of instinct, she burst forward blindly only to receive a brutal blow on her shoulder that drove her against the moist forest floor, letting out a yelp of both shock and pain as her sight swam with colors. His chuckle then registered, and she froze.

"I remember, pet, that I warned you against doing anything foolish," he breathed from atop her and gripped her shoulder, digging his fingernails into her flesh and releasing a cry from her as spidery trickles of blood crawled down his fingers. "It would be good for you to remember that we vampires have acute senses. With that said, I do not leave a job unfinished." The vampire rose to his feet and pulled her up with him, never letting go of his oppressive hold on her arm. "Walk. You still have fourteen days left." 


End file.
